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Preserving DM42 muscle memory

Christophe de Dinechin edited this page Sep 13, 2024 · 2 revisions

A lot of effort went into preserving DM42/HP42 muscle memory for DB48X. This makes it possible (at least to me) to use DB48X without any overlay, although having a keyboard overlay is preferable.

Changes to primary keyboard features

  1. ∑+/∑- replaced with (automatic menu based on stack content) and BackMenu
  2. e^x and LOG swapped. This is really because math tends to use e^x way more often than decimal log.
  3. XEQ, which does not exist on HP48, replaced with '(), which I memorize as "eXpression/EQuation", and GTO replaced with Loop for the LoopMenu (which has no GTO, although this is probably coming some day)
  4. RCL replaced with VAR for the VariablesMenu, which plays a similar role (so easy to memorize)
  5. % replaced with FRAC for the FractionsMenu, which does include %. Also easy to memorize I hope
  6. R↓ replaced with STK for StackMenu, which does include all sorts of stack manipulation operations
  7. 𝛑 replaced with CONST for the ConstantsMenu, which does include 𝛑 and other constants
  8. LastX replaced with Last for LastArguments
  9. CLEAR replaced with CLR for the ClearThingsMenu which includes the Clear stack command
  10. ASN replaced with ->Num (to memorise, ASN = As Numerical Value).
  11. Up and down arrows replaced with left and right

Commands that are in the same spot

Most other commands are literally at the same spot, sometimes invoking a menu instead of a command: 1/x, y^x, √x, x^2, 10^x, LN, STO, COMPLEX (ComplexMenu), sin, cos, tan and their inverse, ENTER (duh), X⇆Y (Swap in RPL), +/- (Negate in RPL), EEX, Backspace / Drop, Alpha, Modes, Disp, Solver, Integration, Matrix, Statistics, Bases, Conversions, Flags, Probabilities, User mode (RPL equivalent of Custom, not implemented yet), PGM.FN for ProgramMenu, Print, Setup, Show, R/S (Evaluate or = or space in RPL), PRGM to insert RPL programs, and the Catalog.

Also, the shift key, EXIT/On, Off, and obviously +, -, * and / are all where expected. This is not a given, WP43 moved even these.

Secondary commands

There are additional secondary commands that you get through a double shift. I tried hard to make them also relatively easy to memorize:

  • y√x aka xroot next to y^x,
  • PolynomialsMenu menu next to x^2,
  • ExpLogMenu next to 10^x,
  • PartsMenu next to log (my way to memorize that is that the decimal log extracts the exponent, which is a part of the number),
  • EquationsMenu next to the XEQ expression/equation key,
  • MemMenu next to STO because this deals with memory,
  • LibsMenu next to VAR because this deals with added objects to customize the calculator,
  • MathMenu next to constants / 𝛑,
  • HyperbolicMenu, CircularMenu and RealMenu menus above SIN, COS and TAN (I remember this with 'Cos' and 'Circular' beginning with C),
  • "Text" next to Alpha because that's entering text in both cases,
  • Undo next to Last,
  • Objects next to Modes (this one I memorize by thinking these are two "general transformation" menus),
  • Plot next to Disp,
  • Up (up one directory) next to Backspace,
  • SYMB (SymbolicMenu) next to Solver (numerical vs. symbolic equation resolution),
  • Differentiation next to Integration,
  • MatrixMenu next to matrix entry,
  • FinancesMenu next to Stats,
  • Text operations next to Base (I memorize this with "base" allowing letters in numbers),
  • Units and Unit conversions where DM42 has "Convert",
  • Time next to Flags (as in "flag this"),
  • Number operations next to probabilities,
  • Debugging next to ASN (because "asinine", OK, this one is weak),
  • CharactersMenu next to Custom, because localization is a form of custom,
  • Tests next to Prog because it's a subset of programming,
  • I/O next to Print because printing is a special case of I/O,
  • File next to Setup because both access the Flash storage,
  • Graph next to Show because they both deal with graphic representations,
  • {List} next to Programs because they are almost "the same thing"… in RPL,
  • and finally, "Help" next to catalog, because both cover all the features of the calculator.